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James Franklin's latest man crush? Former Vanderbilt and current Eagles WR Jordan Matthews

Jordan Matthews 2014

Vanderbilt wide receiver Jordan Matthews reacts to the crowd after being selected as the 42 pick by the Philadelphia Eagles in the second round of the 2014 NFL Draft, Friday, May 9, 2014, in New York.
( AP Photo/Jason DeCrow)

James Franklin explains how the staff creates a game plan and what they focus on (video)The process of creating a game plan and how many games are or are not included varies from coach to coach. For James Franklin, preparing for the season opener against UCF is a process that's already underway. Finding four previous UCF games that match up well with what Penn State wants to do, plus possibly cutting up part of the UCF vs. PSU game last season is part of the behind-the-scenes process of how the plan gets put together.

Matthews, the Philadelphia Eagles' second-round pick in the 2014 NFL Draft, was Vanderbilt's first football player in more than a half century to earn Associated Press All-America honors. With the former Commodores standout coming to the same state that Franklin vows to dominate with his collegiate recruiting efforts, the Penn State head coach said he's optimistic about what Matthews will be able to accomplish in Philadelphia.

"I've got a man crush on Jordan Matthews. I do," Franklin said Tuesday evening during the coaches caravan. "He graduated from Vanderbilt in 3.5 years with an economics degree, has a great family, went to a great high school. He's got massive hands, unbelievably long arms, I think he had the longest arms of all the receivers at the combine this year."

Franklin, who emphasizes the importance of features when he looks at prospective players and how their feet and hands measure up as potential growth indicators, inherited Matthews at Vanderbilt. With the Commodores standing as Matthews' only scholarship offer, Franklin and the former two-star recruit began a partnership that helped both coach and player prosper.

"You're talking about the all-time leading receiver in SEC history career and single season. And you're talking about a guy that everybody knew in that league who we were trying to get as many touches as possible and they still couldn't stop him," Franklin said. "He had 10-12 catches per game. He has all the physical things that are going to allow him to be successful at the next level."

Franklin's background as the former wide receivers coach for the Green Bay Packers allowed him to spend extra time coaching Matthews. The two would meet for extra film sessions during the season and Matthews credited Franklin and now Penn State receivers coach Josh Gattis for helping him mature into an NFL prospect.

Now that Matthews' next step is known and it just so happens to be three hours away from Franklin's new program, the head coach would like to see the Eagles' receiver meet some of the Penn State players when time permits.

"I want our players, no different than Cael [Sanderson] was talking about, getting these guys to come back and be around your program is unbelievably valuable," Franklin said. "[It's] no different than I was talking about modeling the behaviors of the other successful coaches that we have here. I think it's important for our players to be able to see and model behaviors of other successful people in their area of expertise as well."

Former Vanderbilt offensive linemen Wesley Johnson was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the fifth round and former Commodores kicker Carey Spear signed as an undrafted free agent with the Eagles. Former Vanderbilt cornerback Dre Hal was drafted by Bill O'Brien's Texans in the seventh round.

While the coming weeks and months will be used as tests to figure out where all of these prospects stack up and how they can contribute, Franklin praised Matthews and spoke highly of what his former player can bring to Philadelphia.

"The thing I'm most excited about is I know how driven that guy is. When you're best player on your team is also your hardest working guy, that's unbelievably valuable," Franklin said. "And he's smart. They're going to be able to use him in a lot of different ways, motion him, line him up at the No. 3 receiver, line him up at the No. 2 receiver, line him up at the No. 1 receiver and you're going to be able to create match ups, which is what the NFL is all about. ... I'm excited for Chip. I'm excited for the Eagles."